Precipitative Removal of As, Ba, B, Cr, Sr, and V Using Sodium Carbonate
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 5
Abstract
Sodium carbonate softening at pH 10.3 is a viable method of removing the inorganic contaminants arsenic, barium, chromium, strontium, and vanadium from drinking water sources. A broad survey revealed that removals varied widely and were dependent on solution composition. Median removals of As, Ba, Cr, Sr, and V were 24, 100, 92, 99, and 60%, respectively. Linear and nonlinear empirical models were fit for crudely estimating the removal of these contaminants in the presence of other elements that are typically removed in the softening process (i.e., calcium, magnesium, silicon, iron, and aluminum). Boron was removed to a much lesser extent (median removal 2%) indicating soda ash softening is not a promising treatment option for this purpose.
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Acknowledgments
The research described in this paper was partially funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).NSF Sample collection was funded by AWWARF. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or AWWARF. Special thanks go to Dr. Laurie McNeill for her ICP-MS analyses and to Dr. Peter Vikesland and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and recommendations.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 5 • May 2006
Pages: 489 - 496
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 19, 2004
Accepted: Sep 22, 2005
Published online: May 1, 2006
Published in print: May 2006
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